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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wake — a trail
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chair — a leader
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — goods
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stock — shares
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com